Getting off the Snide

When you stop to take a good hard look at the field, Tiger Woods saw little challenge in the Memorial. Oh, he was lurking, which he does so well, but it wasn’t his lurking as much it was the field of chokers ahead of him. Sorry, I hate the use of the term. But did you notice that at one time, four players were tied for the lead at ten-under par. Including Tiger himself.

Well, he won Jack Nicklaus’ tournament for the fourth time. But you know something? It wasn’t as much that he won it, as a field of players lost because they choked like dogs. Real mongrels of the fairways. They all had a chance—Jonathan Byrd, Jim Furyk, Davis Love, Geoff Ogilvie, and Matt Bettencourt, who was tied for the lead as the round began Sunday.

It was one of the most weird tournaments I’ve watched. All these challengers up front, and you knew none were going to win. It was inevitable. And you know when it was over? It was over when Tiger slipped that blade under the ball in the heavy rough off the green on whatever-hole-that-was, and the ball rolled gently down the green into the hole. That was when it was over. All the gods were on his side. Instead of a bogey, he had an eagle.

Get this—know who he was paired with Sunday? Ever hear of Michael Letzig? Of course not. He’s a kid. Just played well enough to suffer the indignity of being 5-under par, thus paired with Tiger, who was also 5-under par. Nobody ever saw Letzig until they were closing out the telecast and they had to identify this stranger who had walked in on Tiger’s crowning moment.

You can’t avoid it. Tiger’s great. He’s leading the world. But, for god’s sake, give us some relief. Isn’t there some player up there who has the moxie to snarl back? All he had to beat Sunday was some guy named Bettencourt, who had never been there, a Wilson, a Byrd, a Furyk for god’s sake! Get off the snide or quit wearing those shirts with Exelon on them. That’s a company I own stock in, and we’re buying you shirts?